REQ: airside spotting at Moscow Sheremetyevo and Istanbul

[redcan]

Hiya,

Can anyone help me with information regarding airside spotting at Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) and Istanbul International (IST). What are the possibilities, security concerns etc.

Also, I assume that I don't need a Russian visa when only transitting trough Moscow or am I wrong?

MTIA,
Chris

[ehusmann]

If you are transitting within 24 hours and within the same airport and checked in already for the second flight, you do not need a visa. This is at least the situation of 4 years ago, things change of course. The new terminal in SVO I do not know, the old one had some views of the outside, most active traffic could be seen and read, not perfect though.
Istanbul is very easy. It has big windows all over the place and just about everything can be seen from the inside. Both runways are in view and also the military side can be seen (do pay attention, as the T-41s can fly some weird circuits). I was there last year for a 10 hour transit. All the time I spent there with my big monocular in the open and nobody ever approached me. At some point security guards were only a few meters from, they did see me, but not even looked strange at me.

Erwin

[MikeRomeo]

If you are transitting within 24 hours and within the same airport and checked in already for the second flight, you do not need a visa. This is at least the situation of 4 years ago, things change of course.

Erwin

That's correct. I did Kiev - Antalya with Aeroflot last May, and the purpose of me flying with the Russian carrier was to do some spotting at the inside the terminal, avoiding all the visa paperwork thing to be in Russia. It's not very difficult to take numbers, but for photos is bad because there's glass, then a corridor for the passengers boarding and de-boarding and the more glass. No problem at all with security.

I've also done this in IST a few times and again no trouble at all. I actually find this as a perfect way to get registrations in some countries .